For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2006

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Folic acid can help save babies from serious birth defects
January is Missouri Birth Defects Prevention Month

A new study by the March of Dimes shows more women are aware that folic acid can prevent birth defects, but fewer women are taking folic acid on a daily basis.

According to the Gallup survey, folic acid awareness increased from 78 percent in 2004 to 84 percent in 2005. However, the percentage of women taking folic acid every day during that same time decreased from 40 percent to 33 percent.

“While the cause of many birth defects is unknown, we know without a doubt that folic acid can reduce the risk of serious defects affecting a baby's spine and brain,” said Glenda R. Miller, director of the Division of Community and Public Health at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “It is vital that we convince women of childbearing age to take folic acid daily.”

The importance of folic acid in reducing the risk of birth defects is emphasized during January, Missouri Birth Defects Prevention Month. Gov. Matt Blunt signed a proclamation to increase awareness about birth defects, the nation's leading cause of infant death and a major cause of childhood disability.

About 5.9 percent of all babies born in Missouri have one or more birth defects, according to the Missouri Birth Defects Registry. These babies represented 11.7 percent of low birth weight babies and 34.9 percent of infant deaths for 2002.

While many birth defects cannot be predicted or prevented, neural tube defects – which affect the brain and spinal cord – often can be avoided with folic acid, a B vitamin included in most multivitamins. When taken before pregnancy and in the early weeks of pregnancy, folic acid can prevent 50 to 70 percent of neural tube defects, the most common being spina bifida.

“We want women to know they can reduce the risk of birth defects and help give their babies the best chance for a healthy start in life,” Miller said.

Since neural tube defects develop during the first month of pregnancy – before most women know they are pregnant – and since 50 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, it is vital that all women of childbearing age take folic acid daily.

The U.S. Public Health Service advises all women capable of becoming pregnant to consume 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. Because most women are not able to obtain enough folic acid from their diet alone and the body absorbs the synthetic form of folic acid more easily than the natural form, it is recommended that all women of childbearing age take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. Women of childbearing age are also advised to eat fortified grains in addition to a variety of foods as part of a healthy diet.

“While this all-time high level of awareness about folic acid is good news, it is critical to take the next step and convince all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid by taking a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to reduce the risk of birth defects,” Miller said.

Once a woman is pregnant, it is recommended that she increase her intake of synthetic folic acid to 600 micrograms per day. If a woman has had a baby with a neural tube defect, she should consult her doctor about the amount of folic acid she should take before her next pregnancy. Studies have shown that taking a larger dose of folic acid daily reduces a woman's risk of having another baby with a neural tube defect by about 70 percent.

In addition to helping prevent neural tube defects, emerging research shows that folic acid may also reduce the risk of other birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects.

For more information about birth defects awareness and folic acid education, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services web site at www.dhss.mo.gov.